James Macdonald (director) explained

James Macdonald is a British theatre and film director who is best known for his work with contemporary writers such as Caryl Churchill.^[1] He was associate and deputy director of the Royal Court Theatre from 1992 to 2006. There he staged the premiere of Sarah Kane's Blasted (1995), her highly controversial debut which sparked a Newsnight debate on BBC Television.^[2] He also directed the premiere of Kane's Cleansed (1998) and 4.48 Psychosis which opened after her suicide.^{[3] [4]}

Born in 1958, Macdonald began working as a director at the Royal Court under Max Stafford-Clark, in his twenties after graduating from Oxford University and L'Ecole Internationale de Theatre Jacques Lecoq. Since leaving the Royal Court in 2007 Macdonald has worked extensively in New York, in most of the major theatres across London and the West End, and directed a 2008 feature film of A Number by Caryl Churchill for HBO/BBC Films.^[5]

His productions include Fewer Emergencies by Martin Crimp at the Royal Court (2005),^[6] Glengarry Glen Ross in the West End (2007),^[7] The world premiere of The Arrest of Ai Weiwei at the Hampstead Theatre (2013) ^{[8] [9]} and Bakkhai at Almeida Theatre in 2015.^[10]

James Macdonald is on the board of Stage Directors UK.^[11]

Productions

• A Number by Caryl Churchill, New York Theatre Workshop, New York (2005)
• Exiles by James Joyce (Royal National Theatre) (2006)^[12]
• Dying City by Christopher Shinn (Lincoln Centre Theater NY) (2007)^[13]
• Glengarry Glen Ross, (Apollo Theatre, London) (2008)^[14]
• Drunk Enough to Say I Love You? (The Public Theater NY, The Royal Court Theatre) (2008)^[15]
• Top Girls (Manhattan Theatre Club at Biltmore Theatre, New York) (2008)^[16]
• Judgement Day by Odon von Horvath (Almeida Theatre, London) (2009)^[17]
• Cock (world premiere) (The Royal Court Theatre, London) (2009), winner of Laurence Olivier Award^{[18] [19]}
• The Book of Grace (world premiere) by Suzan-Lori Parks (The Public Theatre, New York) (2010)
• John Gabriel Borkman (The Abbey Theatre, Dublin, and Brooklyn Academy of Music, Harvey Theatre, New York) (2010-2011)
• A Delicate Balance by Edward Albee (Almeida Theatre, London) (2011)
• King Lear by Joseph Papp (The Public Theatre, New York) (2011)^[20]
• And No More Shall We Part (Hampstead Theatre, London) (2012)
• Cock by Mike Bartlett (US premiere) (The Duke on 42nd Street, New York) (2012)
• Love and Information (world premiere) (The Royal Court Theatre, London) (2012)^[21]
• Circle Mirror Transformation (The Royal Court Theatre, Rose Lipman Building, London) (2013)
• Roots (Donmar Warehouse, London) (2013)
• Love and Information (New York Theatre Workshop, The Royal Court Theatre at Minetta Lane Theatre, New York) (2014)
• The Wolf From the Door (world premiere) by Rory Mullarkey (The Royal Court Theatre, Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, London) (2014)^[22]
• The Father by Florian Zeller (Theatre Royal, Bath Productions) (2014)^{[23] [24] [25]}
• Bakkhai (Almeida Theatre, London) (2015)^[26]
• Cloud 9 (Atlantic Theater Company Linda Gross Theatre, New York, NY) (2015)^[27]
• Escaped Alone by Caryl Churchill (Royal Court Theatre, London) (2016)^{[28] [29]}
• Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee (Harold Pinter Theatre, London) (2017)^[30]
• John by Annie Baker (Royal National Theatre, London) (2018)^[31]
• True West by Sam Shepard (American Airlines Theatre, New York) (2018)^[32]
• The Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams (Noël Coward Theatre, London) (2019)^[33]
• Glass, Kill, Bluebeard, and Imp. by Caryl Churchill (Royal Court Theatre, London) (2019)^[34]

Awards and nominations

• Evening Standard Awards, Best Play, The Father, Theatre Royal Bath, 2015
• Obie Award USA, winner, Best Director for Love and Information, 2014
• Evening Standard Awards, Longlisted for Best Director, Roots, Donmar Warehouse, 2013
• Evening Standard Awards, Longlisted for Best Director, Love and Information by Caryl Churchill, (Royal Court Downstairs), 2012

External links

• Theatre Voice Interview

Notes and References

1. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/james-macdonald-on-caryl-churchills-escaped-alone-im-drawn-to-plays-i-dont-know-how-to-do-a6819916.html The Independent Interview
2. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/young-playwright-blasted-for-brutalist-debut-work-1568794.html The Independent News
3. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5PPxthpjGmmb6RMD6bwc7Kt/blast-from-the-past-sheffield-celebrates-the-plays-of-sarah-kane BBC Article
4. Web site: Sarah Kane's howl of pain is an act of artistic heroism . . https://web.archive.org/web/20230424213505/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4723510/Sarah-Kanes-howl-of-pain-is-an-act-of-artistic-heroism.html . 2023-04-24 . live .
5. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2712394 IMDb
6. Web site: Fewer Emergencies, Royal Court, London . 2005-09-14 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20230329174902/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2005/sep/14/theatre . 2023-03-29 . live .
7. Web site: Glengarry Glen Ross . 2007-10-15 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20230208081418/https://variety.com/2007/legit/reviews/glengarry-glen-ross-8-1200555343/ . 2023-02-08 . live .
8. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22200389 BBC News
9. Web site: The Arrest of Ai Weiwei – review . 2013-04-18 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20220616134652/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/apr/18/arrest-ai-weiwei-review . 2022-06-16 . live .
10. http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/victoria-sadler/review-ben-whishaw-stars-_b_7921600.html Huffington Post Review
11. http://www.stagedirectorsuk.com/board.html Stage Directors UK
12. Web site: Exiles, National, London . 2006-08-03 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20211025124245/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2006/aug/03/theatre . 2021-10-25 . live .
13. News: The Walking Wounded Who Never Saw a Battlefield (Published 2007) . . 5 March 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220819104402/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/05/theater/reviews/05dyin.html . 2022-08-19 . live .
14. Web site: Theatre review: Glengarry Glen Ross / Apollo, London . 2007-10-15 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20201203183642/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2007/oct/15/theatre . 2020-12-03 . live .
15. News: They Don't Call It a Special Relationship for Nothing (Published 2008) . . 17 March 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221126024603/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/17/theater/reviews/17drunk.html . 2022-11-26 . live .
16. News: Ladies Who Lunch? No, Here's to the Power Players (Published 2008) . . 8 May 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180519051016/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/08/theater/reviews/08girl.html?_r=0 . 2018-05-19 . live .
17. Web site: Judgment Day at the Almeida Theatre, review . . https://web.archive.org/web/20160508150242/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/charles-spencer/6189722/Judgment-Day-at-the-Almeida-Theatre-review.html . 2016-05-08 .
18. http://www.olivierawards.com/winners/view/item350439/olivier-winners-2015 Olivier Awards
19. Web site: Theatre review: Cock, Royal Court, London . 2009-11-18 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20230331110058/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/nov/18/michael-billington-review . 2023-03-31 . live .
20. http://www.broadwayworld.com/people/James-MacDonald Broadway World
21. Web site: Love and Information – review . 2012-09-14 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20230423095518/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/sep/15/love-and-information-royal-court-review . 2023-04-23 . live .
22. Web site: The Wolf From the Door, Royal Court, review: 'exhilarating' . . https://web.archive.org/web/20220816194210/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/11099434/The-Wolf-From-the-Door-Royal-Court-review-exhilarating.html . 2022-08-16 . live .
23. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35954142 BBC Entertainment
24. Web site: The Father review – ingenious Alzheimer's drama with echoes of Lear . 2015-10-06 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20230404124751/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/oct/06/the-father-review-alzheimer-s-kenneth-cranham-claire-skinner-florian-zeller . 2023-04-04 . live .
25. http://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/page/3029/The-Father/904 Theatre Royal Bath
26. Web site: Almeida Theatre . 2016-04-18 . 2015-09-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150928224323/http://www.almeida.co.uk/whats-on/bakkhai/23-jul-2015-19-sep-2015 . dead .
27. News: Review: 'Cloud Nine,' a Comedy of Fluid and Complicated Couplings (Published 2015) . The New York Times . 6 October 2015 . Brantley . Ben .
28. News: For 'Hangmen' and 'Escaped Alone,' Connecting Threads in London (Published 2016) . The New York Times . 14 February 2016 . Brantley . Ben .
29. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/escaped-alone-royal-court-review-terrific-cast-with-nowhere-to-go Telegraph Review
30. Web site: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? review – Staunton ignites Albee's marital battle . 2017-03-09 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20230608014415/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/mar/09/whos-afraid-of-virginia-woolf-review-imelda-staunton-albee-conleth-hill-harold-pinter-theatre . 2023-06-08 . live .
31. https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/james-macdonald-john-annie-baker-national-theatre_45601.html WhatsOnStage Article
32. https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/get-tickets/2018-2019-season/true-west Production Website
33. https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/clive-owen-night-iguana-west-end-anna-gunn_48428.html WhatsOnStage Article
34. https://royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/glasskillbluebeard/ Royal Court Website